Let's Talk Tech
Low cost carrier sweetheart Straight Talk is now starting up a Bring Your Own Device program for GSM enabled tablets.
Announced via their blog, users can BYOT and sign up for monthly data plans starting at $15 a month for 1GB of GSM data with support for LTE where available. Plans top out at $50 a month for 5GB of data. Not a bad way to keep your mobile data habit fed.
You can hit http://www.straighttalkbyot.com/ for more info or to sign up and grab a SIM card.
NVIDIA’s Shield is a handy little Nexus 7 competitor with solid gaming capabilities, and they’re now offering a 32GB version with LTE. Starting today, you can pre-order the Shield on AT&T for $399, and if you’re signing up a new two-year agreement, you will also receive a $100 credit towards the purchase.
It’s not a bad upgrade from the WiFi-only Shield as it doubles the on board storage and adds that LTE radio for only $100 more. For more info on Shield, or to commit your cash to receiving one when they ship, head on over to NVIDIA’s site. Pre-orders are expected to ship by the end of the month, and you can find more info on AT&T’s promotion from their press release.
Announced today at IFA, Lenovo has refreshes planned for some of their most unique Windows 8.1 PC’s.
The new Helix gets a slimmer build and finally gets the more powerful and efficient Intel Core M chipset. Helix is an 11.6″ tablet which can dock in a clam-shell keyboard for a more traditional laptop experience. Lenovo calls their latching system “rip and flip” as the tablet can be inserted either facing towards or away from the keyboard for multi-mode usage. You can use the Helix as a tablet, laptop, or in “stand mode”. The Helix features up to 12 hour battery life with the Ultrabook Pro Keyboard dock.
As the Helix is a part of the Thinkpad line for business users, it includes support for a digitzer pen and security features like a fingerprint reader, smart card reader, and three factor authentication.
Consumers looking for an All-in-One experience can look to the Horizon 2s and 2e. Like the Flex 20 we reviewed recently, the Horizon 2 is a battery powered AiO. Like a semi portable, giant tablet which can replace your desktop PC running a full version of Windows 8.1 on an Intel Core processor.
Lenovo has shaved 10 pounds off the weight of its first Horizon PC, while including a battery capable of up to three hours of run time. The multi-mode stand also returns, allowing you to prop the screen upright, hold it at an angle, or lay it completely flat for tabletop gaming.
The Helix with Ultrabook Keyboard dock will be available in January starting at a price of $999. The Horizon 2e will launch in October starting at $749. You can catch Lenovo’s full PR below.
Continue reading “Lenovo Refreshes Helix Business Ultrabook and Horizon Portable All-In-One PC”
At IFA in Berlin, Lenovo took the wraps off of their first Intel powered Android tablet and some new gear for gamers.
The Tab S8 has an 8″ full HD screen (1920×1200) powered by an Intel Atom quad-core processor. The screen is bordered by tiny bezels with front facing stereo speakers, there’s an 8MP rear shooter, and features 2GB of RAM with 16GB of storage.
Base model will be available in September for $199, and there will be an LTE enabled model released later.
Also announced were a pair of gaming PC’s.
Continue reading “Lenovo Offers Up New Android Tablet and Windows Gaming PC’s”
B&N scored some early critical successes with their previous Nook tablets and e-readers. Standing up to Amazon at a time when the Kindle was one of the highest selling “Android” tablets on the market.
Barnes & Noble is partnering with Samsung now for their next Nook, a customized version of the seven inch Galaxy Tab 4. This Nook will have full access to Google apps and services while also including B&N’s Nook store.
The tablet sells for $199, but the bookseller is offering up a $20 instant rebate, and including “$200 worth of content” on the device with free e-books and TV show episodes, plus a $5 gift card to get you started in the Nook store.
Have you been rocking a Nook? Will this partnership with Samsung interest you in their offerings? Drop us a comment, and read Barnes and Nobles full press release below.
Continue reading “Barnes & Noble Teams with Samsung for $179 Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK Tablet”
Everything’s coming up Lenovo!
The company announced their first quarter results for 2014, and the numbers are looking pretty rosy. Tablet sales are up 67% over last year, smartphones were up 39%, and Lenovo became the number one smartphone manufacturer in China.
PC shipments were up 15%, though it’s unclear what Lenovo is classifying as a PC and what they’re badging a tablet these days, as the company has led the charge on blurring the line between Windows 8 laptops and tablets. This is the fifth consecutive quarter Lenovo has led the market in PC sales, but for the first time in company history, they sold more phones than computers.
At a time where other established companies are struggling, Lenovo also saw a 13% gross profit increase over this time last year. Moving into next quarter, Lenovo believes they’ll continue to improve those numbers with their acquisitions of Motorola and IBM x86.
Full financial statement below.
STM is becoming one of my favorite bag manufacturers. High quality, affordable prices, sturdy build, and fashionable design.
They’ve sent over a new sleeve for widescreen ten inch tablets which is specifically designed for the Surface and Surface Pro, but anyone not rocking an iPad will probably want to check this out.
Continue reading “Review: STM Pocket Sleeve for Surface Pro and Widescreen Tablets”
At a press event in New York City today, CEO Satya Nadella discussed the company’s hardware strategy, emphasizing that Microsoft was not competing with their manufacturing partners, but using their hardware experiments to push the boundaries of their software and hardware integration.
Head of the Surface Team, Panos Panay took the stage with a couple quips regarding Microsoft’s press coverage in the past. Discussing the market, where 96% of tablet owners still own a laptop, Panay took the wraps off the Surface Pro 3. Featuring an even thinner design, 9.1mm almost 2 milimeters thinner than the Surface Pro 2, it’s the slimmest Core i7 product available. Microsoft estimates a 10% performance boost over the Pro 2.
The screen size has increased to a 12 inch diagonal with a new 3:2 aspect ratio and a proper 2K resolution of 2160×1440. All of this improvement without increasing weight, and Surface Pro 3 will come in at 800 grams. Yet we’ll likely see about a 10-20% improvement in battery life. Continue reading “Microsoft Shows Off New Surface Pro 3 Laptop/Tablet Hybrid PC”
